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Day 7: BPA-Free Canning with Weck Jars

Day 7: Weck Jars

I have canned all my life, but I first learned about Weck jars about 18 years ago. They were the sexy European jars with cool shapes and these interesting clips. But back then, they were unattainable for me due to their high cost and the fact that you had to order them from Germany or England. A few years back, I saved up my pennies and bought a few. They rocked! I still use them and love them.

Today, Weck jars are still expensive (although less than before) and they are a lot easier to find because more people are doing home canning. They are looking for unusual alternatives to the typical mason canning jars and Weck fits the bill.

Peaceful Valley/GrowOrganic.com

Luckily for us, Peaceful Valley/GrowOrganic.com has offered to give one of YOU a case of SIX beautiful Weck canning jars to try for yourself! Now, I have to tell you that Peaceful Valley is one of my favorite go-to resources for not only canning supplies and homesteading equipment but all things garden and farm related. I buy from them all the time.

I mean… All. The. Time.

So, of course they needed to be included as a resource in my 31 Days of Living Homegrown and they graciously offered to share some Weck jars with one of you! I have more information on Peaceful Valley/GrowOrganic.com and the Giveaway below.

Weck Jars & Safety:

When I became a Certified Master Food Preserver (many years ago), I was sad to learn that the USDA does not officially endorse the use of Weck jars. However, this is NOT because the jars are unsafe. It is simply because they have not yet been tested by the USDA. But I can assure you that they are safe. They are the gold standard of canning practices in Europe & Canada.

What Does It Mean To Be BPA-Free?

Aside from being sleek and cool, Weck jars are BPA free. But what does that mean?

Well, BPA stands for Bisphenol-A which is a synthetic estrogen used to make plastic hard and create a coating that keeps metal from rusting. It is currently in most of the standard canning lids except Weck (because they are glass) and Tattler Lids (which are made from a different kind of plastic). The bottom line is that you really don’t want your food to be in contact with BPA because it leaches into the food. And with Weck, it is a non-issue.

I wrote an extensive post on BPA in Canning Lids over on our TV show website. You can get more detailed information there.

How to Can with Weck Jars

As you can see, Weck jars do not have the standard 2-part lid we are used to here in America. Instead, they have a glass lid, rubber gasket and two metal clips. The glass parts are used repeatedly, but the gaskets are replaced with each canning session.

Originally, this post was going to be on how to use a Weck jar for canning. But then I discovered that my favorite fellow canner, Marisa McClellan already wrote an excellent post with step-by-step instructions. So when you are ready to use a Weck, you can see all the steps at: Canning 101 – How to Can Using Weck jars. It is well done.

Other Uses:

Just like all canning jars, Weck jars can be used for other things besides canning! I keep a jar on my desk clipped and filled with paperclips. Okay…weird, I know! HA! But I l just love looking at this sleek jar every day.

I would love to hear some ways you all use canning jars (any brand) in non-canning ways.(See ways to win below)

The Giveaway!

Six Mini Jelly Weck Jars – Tulip Shape

The contest is now closed. Thank you for all of your comments! The winner will be announced shortly.

Even though it is not canning season, you do NOT want to miss an opportunity to get free jars! They will become your favorite for many, many years.

Our friends at Peaceful Valley/GrowOrganic.com are giving away the Weck jars for this post. Now, you may be surprised to learn that they carry canning supplies, but that is what I love about Peaceful Vally. They actually carry everything that a homesteader would want and they have informative how-to videos. Be sure to check them out.

COMMENT: Leave a comment below telling us one “non-canning” way that you use canning jars or why you “need” these jars. You may do this once. (Example: “I use canning jars a vases” or “I need these sexy jars to make myself sexy.”)

SUBSCRIBE: If you are not all ready a subscriber, sign up for my newsletter for a second way to enter. NO need to comment that you subscribed. I automatically get a notification if you. If you are already a subscriber to my weekly and/or monthly newsletter, you are already automatically entered once. No need to sign up again!

SHARE ON FACEBOOK: Share this post on Facebook and come back and comment below that you did. (You may do this ONE TIME ONLY.)

DETAILS: You must live in the lower 48 states to win. (Sorry) The giveaway ends at midnight on Sunday, January 13th, 2013. Then I will randomly pick a winner and notify them via email. (So be sure your email address is correct when you comment or subscribe.). Once I have the winner confirmed, I will post here and on Facebook and Peaceful Valley will ship out the jars.

Good Luck!

This post is part of the 31 Days of Living Homegrown. Sign up for my newsletter (weekly or monthly) so you don’t miss any of the inspiration and resources I will be sharing for living local, fresh and homegrown!

Disclaimer: I was not compensated in any way for this post. All the opinions given here are my own. I just wanted to feature one of my favorite companies. The prize of free jars only goes to a lucky reader and I receive no compensation whatsoever in this contest.

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Preserve Like a Pro:

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About the Author:

Theresa Loe is the founder of Living Homegrown® and the Canning Academy® and is the Co-Executive Producer & Canning Expert on the national PBS gardening series, Growing A Greener World®. Theresa homesteads on just 1/10th of an acre in Los Angeles with her husband, two teenage boys and several disorderly but totally adorable chickens. Learn more about Living Homegrown here and about the Canning Academy here.

I would love these jars! I haven’t found them anywhere in actual stores but see them online frequently. I use my Mason jars I think on a daily basis. I cart soup and salads to work in them, in the summer use them for my iced coffee in the morning, and lately have been making overnight refrigerator oatmeal in them.

I use them to make salad dressing. These jars would be a bazillion times better for this purpose than the Ball ones I use now. Why? Because the lids won’t rust or get all funky from the acid in the vinegars. I do reuse the ball lids a few times for salad dressings, which aren’t something I process for long-term storage. But, after a while both the lids and the rims end up in the trash because of corrosion problems. Thanks for the chance to win. You know I need these!

I’ve been using canning jars lately to make up pre-made salads. Dressing in the bottom and then a hearty veggie and then salad fixins. My daughter takes them to work for lunch. The whole family loves them and all of the “salad in jars” are usually gone within a couple of days.

I have odd sizes of mason jars and love flowers but don’t like spending the money to keep fresh in the house. So when I do get flowers (most recent mini roses) I dry them, cut off the tops and arrange them like little bouquets within the various size jars to put around the house. They are adorable!

First I would love to surprise and share these great jars with my dear friend Cindy; she and I first made jam together years ago and hope to do so again this year. She is a preschool teacher of 20+ years and adored by her kids and parents. Black raspberry jam is my favorite : )

A ‘non jam’ idea would be to use filled with beautiful spices on a cute shelf in our kitchen!

wow! what a perfect little giveaway. i use canning jars for all sorts of things, from making ghee to kim chi, to storing foods. i have never been able to afford weck jars, but have drooled over them for so long… i would LOVE to have my own set.

We use them for dry food storage, I make dill salt, for combining spices like home made pumpkin pie spice, to hold money, pens /pencils and there are many uses. Plus they always look pretty. I love the colored jars, blues and purples are my favorite!

I use canning jars as double boilers for making homemade cosmetics and for storage and easy access to quinoa and rice when I have bought bulk quantities. If I had more, I might actually do some canning.

Shared and subscribed. I still do a lot of canning this time of year. I freeze most of my berries till winter, when all the other canning has slowed down, and them I make my jelly. I also can chilli and soups in the winter as well as in the summer. Thanks for a great giveaway.

I use canning jars for storing small amounts of bulk items for everyday use (dry beans, popcorn, coconut oil, honey). I fill a couple of quart jars with honey (or whatever) and store the 5-gallon bucket elsewhere. I refill the quart jars as needed.

I love to re-use my jars for leftovers or for when I make my own dressings, sauces and squeezed citrus juices. I did share own facebook and look forward to seeing more great advice and finds from your FB and blog!

I use our jars for all sorts of dry goods in the kitchen, as well as for single servings of soup to heat in the mornings for my daughter’s lunch. She is crazy about soup. Crazy.
Subscribed!
Shared on facebook!

I use the jars to corral my hair ties instead of letting them run free all over my house when I let down my hair. I NEED these jars because just this past Christmas I made a basket of homemade jams for my mother-in-law and she’s already making requests for next Christmas. Please keep me in her good graces!!

I use canning jars to hold dehydrated foods, meals in a jar, store food in the fridge instead of in plastic containers, and for vases and decor. My son uses them in place of cups for drinking beverages.

I use my canning jars for storing fresh cut herbs and also for dried beans and grains. I also use a quart jar to soak seeds for sprouting. That is when I start consuming all the canned goods that I put up last fall and start emptying the jars.

I have some of the larger jars – for peaches and such – and as I empty them, I refill them with candies or found objects. More than two and I stack them one on top of the other. For the holidays we had a “snowman” of multi-colored candies, and another of acorns & rocks & tiny cones. I’d love some of the mini-jellies!

I covet these! I’m too chintzy to use these in canned goods I give away just yet. I got a set as a wedding gift and use them for juices, preserved lemons, dressing–things I will see regularly on the counter. My canning jars get a lot of use…as my wine glass! I reach past crystal and stems for a jelly jar every night

I could really use these jars, I’d like to become comfortable with canning with them so I can eventually replace all of my jars to become completely BPA free in my canning. I also of course as most do, use my canning jars as lovely drinking glasses during the summer months, who doesn’t love a mason jar lemonade or iced tea?

In the past, I’ve used canning jars for storing grains of all sorts and for gift-giving (soup mixes, homemade granola). Last summer, I placed bouquets of herbs in them, to share with friends – double the gifting! Right now, I’m beginning to practice making herbal balms (mainly ayurvedic-oriented), using jars of every shape and size I can find. These tulip-shaped ones are sooo dear! Can’t wait to purchase some (or, perhaps, win some?).

I put dry cocoa powder in them sprinkled with peppermint mini marshmallows on top, close it up and take a little piece of garden twine to tie a mini bottle of Baileys Irish Cream to the outside and give them away to my friends as gifts. I also us them in my garden on my gardening table ti hold small things and tools that I need for quick use while out there gardening.

I also put up my own food by canning. This year I am learning about fermentation preservation – yogurt, cider, saurkraut.d
I would love to win the jars because I’ve never tried them. I’ve seen them and would like to try; but like you mentioned, they are pricey. I use my jars to store dry beans from the garden… and sometimes to hide a bit of chocolate away in the pantry for a ‘rainy day’. When I store the dry beans (or grains), I always freeze them a day or two to kill off any little insects that could spoil the food in dry storage. Then, I put the dry beans in the jar and seal it up tight by hand.

I use the smaller jars as votive holders for ambient lighting throughout the yard during outdoor parties. I may use them along the walkway up to the front porch; or guide guests along the side of the house to the backyard; or better yet, I place them in front of tombstones, surround them with fallen leaves, for a spooky effect during Halloween. One more way…garden-y cocktails, baby!

Subscribed & shared
I’ve made redneck wine glasses and I love to show them off and use them. My husband uses the large ones for his water, tea & sodas. I also have used the smaller ones for crafts with my kids.

I use jars as a pretty package for gift-giving – the content possibilities are endless. I also use the Le Parfait style jars to store anything on my kitchen counter. Currently, mine are showing off my dry bean harvest.

I use them for so many things: holding flowers, sea glass, buttons, pencils and pens. They are lovely and versatile and always look good. I use them to store leftovers, keeping me free from the BPA in plastics. Love Weck Jars!

I like to use the canning jars for gift containers. I put things like tea bags, coffee, lip balm, gum, candies, mini lotions, etc. in them for gifting to teachers. I also think they are great for gifts of cookie mix, cake mix, bread mix, hot cocoa mix, et.

Ok, I have been looking at these for a while. I used to be a canner years ago (too many to mention) with the old style of jars and lids and entered my wares in the local county fair. I was actually a sweepstakes winner a couple of times! When I heard that BPA was in the underside of the traditional lids, I was a little leary about canning again until I saw the new (to me) Weck jars advertized in the Peaceful Valley Catalogue. My husband and I have bought several things from them including 10 bare-root trees for our new orchard and a worm farm! We love them! I would love to win these jars and test them out! BTW, love your blog!

There are no limits as to how to use these jars … from drinking yerba mate or green tea – tulsi tes to store away left over sauces – soups – flours – grains – for mixing ingredients … to store or transport liquid kelp to the garden and fish combo fertilizer … or to store hardware i.e. Nails – screws – tags etc. Endless use – any use a plastic container loaded with BPA will be used…

I have a set of the mini jelly jars that I got years ago from Crate & Barrel, and they came with plastic lids as well as the glass lids and rings. I use them mostly for individual servings of custard and puddings; just pop them in the fridge with the plastic lids on and the family can serve themselves.

I’ve been using my jars lately to feed my baby chicks. I have an attachment for the food and waterer. I would love these jars, but I think I’d save them for myself and keep using the old ones for the chicks.

I use jars to hold everything! Leftovers, lunch and breakfast on the go, dry goods like flours and beans, summer fruit I dehydrate myself, strained yogurt whey, ferments, and of course canning my jams and fruit preserves. I would LOVE to add some beautiful Weck to my collection.

I’m an Herbal medicine maker! I use jars for holding dry herbs, tinctures, infused oils, medicine making and storing! This is why I want to use jars free of bpa.
These lovely jars would definitely be used to display some of my medicine! Beautiful!

I have never actually heard of Weck jars before, nor seen them! I need a set so i can say i now own a cool, styley set of European canning jars, If for no other reason!!! I would use them to put my homemade sauerkraut in!!

I’ve got the garden part down, the canning part, not so much! I want to learn and start preserving our harvest for THIS time of year! Right now, the one non-canning thing we do with canning jars is to put leftover soup, etc. in them and use our FoodSaver system to vaccuum seal them for later. So, in the back of our refrigerator there are two kinds of soup and refried beans all ready to go.

We are beekeepers and would love to use them for beeswax candles for a unique look. They would be great to hold our honey, of course! Other things that come to mind are desserts, vases, drinking glasses, mini-terrariums, and holders of fun little items.

I was given a few of these years ago and did not have instructions on “how to” so I would be thrilled to try again! Thank you for the offer!

I love glass jars. We went plastic free almost a year ago, and I have never been sorry that we did. We use glass jars for all of our dry ingredients in the cupboard, plus leftovers in the refrigerator.

I’m from the SOUTH so I drink my SWEET TEA from a MASON JAR. I use them to hold small crafting materials. I make beautiful lace covered jar candles for gifts. I make sewing kits and nail kits for gitfts. I put leftovers in them for quick glance meals for my 82 yr old Daddy. I put homemade baby food in them. Can you tell I love jars of any type but LOVE MASON JARS!

I refuse to use plastic or teflon. I use my canning jars and iron skillets for everything.

I need to win these WECK JARS to start sharing my ideas with my granbaby girl.

My family prefers canning jars over regular glasses so for many years we drink our water or juice or tea from various size canning jars. I also use them for storing leftovers instead of using plastic containers plastic bags or plastic wrap

We store our oats, rice, beans, quiona, etc. in canning jars. We also use them to drink out of sometimes, and even though we don’t need them, we would love to use them. It is my hope to do a little bit of canning this year — beginner stuff.

Weck are really my favorit canning jars-I used them for storage of beans, oatmeal, corn meal all me dry stuff as well as my teas. I have them duffernt sizes stacked on my counter, with what I use most ofetned.

I have subscribed, and shared on FB, but the main reason that I would like these canning jars is that I had no idea there was BPA in the lids of the canning jars I currently use, and I do use canning jars for making fruit and nut liquours, so would appreciate these jars very much.
Thank you for making the offer.

I already shared on fb but I wanted to add that my mom bought over these jars from Germany 50 something years ago when she moved to the USA. I remember them from my childhood. Unfortunately, she doesnt have them anymore. I have been looking for these jars for a long time. How much I would love to win these. What wonderful memories I have of my mom canning with them. <3

I use them for all the stuff mentioned above. AND I wandered into a Willams Sonoma recently and found spices for Hot Cider packaged in a Weck jar. I’ve been wanting to try them, so I bought it… for the JAR!

I recycle all my clear plastic package ‘wrap’ by cutting it into strips for seedling labels. These I write on with permanent ink & store the strips in a canning jar that I keep handy on the counter. They are then ready to insert into rag-dolls for seed starting. If I am really organized I will write up the information I need on the labels and store each label batch in a separate color coded jar. When the seed germinates and gets planted into the 1st generation pot…. I already have a label ready to go throughout all the propagation process.

Who said it is not canning season? I just made tangerine and Meyer lemon marmalade with a vanilla bean. It came out great. I use my old mason jars to store beans and rice. The smaller ones I use to drink out of, and the cool antique blue jars I use as candle holders. I have also used them as planters, especially nice for bulbs. You can put stones in the bottom, then the paper white bulbs on top and fill a quarter of the way with water. Love these jars!

I can’t believe I won! I’m shocked and overjoyed! These gems will really show off the garden bounty!
I’m looking forward to NOT needing to buy new lids every time I use them. Thankyou so much!
A big thank you to to Living Home Grown and to Peaceful Valley Farm Supply. Your generosity is appreciated and will be put to good use.

You are SO very welcome. I’m sure you will get many years of use from the jars. And be sure to scroll through all the many ideas people posted below with ideas on how to use those jars…besides canning of course!